Summary: Google’s work in the area of Linux and the area of office suites is hurting two of Microsoft’s primary cash cows; Microsoft responds with deception and hype

WE RARELY wrote anything about “SYNC”, perhaps with a single exception. As some short background, we provide many references at the bottom [1]-[8] to show that Linux use is growing quickly inside cars and Microsoft is merely catching up and making little or no progress (with Ford and with Kia).

General Motors (GM) is said to be preparing to put Linux in the car. In this case, Android will be fitted for purposes of GM clients and news coverage includes:

GM is amidst negotiations with Google that could bear the fruit of an Android OS for GM’s vehicles alla Microsoft Sync and Ford. The new OS would allow users to pair their vehicles with virtually any cell phone, as well as offer some remote access options such as; remote open and start.

Google is reportedly in talks to connect its Android operating system with General Motors’ OnStar car service. If the early clues prove to be true, the Android-OnStar combination could pack a whole lot of power into the palm of your hand.

It is not just Windows and other proprietary operating systems that are going to suffer.

Google Versus Office

Google is often an enabler of Free software and GNU/Linux (or just Linux in the guts of Android), but there is more to this story because Google also produces a lot of proprietary software that disrespects the user and holds the user’s data away in the so-called ‘cloud’. We are reminded of it this week because OpenOffice.org and other Free software are left in the dark while Google and Microsoft wrestle over data and advertising using their Web-based office suites (and most of the press forgets to mention other possibilities while attention is diverted to proprietary software that swallows people's data, too).

The GENIVI Alliance, an automotive industry association driving the development and adoption of an open in-vehicle Infotainment (IVI) reference platform, will be demonstrating the initial implementation of the GENIVI 1.0 platform in Las Vegas during International CES 2010, January 7th – 10th.

Tokyo-based ZMP Inc. is readying a Linux-based car robotics platform designed to test automotive robots and autonomous navigation algorithms. The RoboCar is built on a 500MHz AMD Geode LX800, and offers a stereo camera, multiple sensors, and an optional image recognition module, says the company.

MP, the Japanese company that created the open hardware Pino humanoid robot, has announced a Linux and AMD-Geode based RoboCar (PDF format). The 6 lbs, 17 inch long RoboCar is 1/10 the size of a real car. It’s intended for use as a test platform for autonomous car technologies. While it looks like it’s made from RC car parts, the company claims the maneuvering accuracy is much higher than possible with toy cars. The hardward includes an AMD Geode LX800 processor running a soft real-time GNU/Linux system.

The GENIVI alliance, of which Visteon is a part, aims to provide a standard Linux automotive infotainment platform, so developers can easily build for multiple cars. Visteon showed off a GENIVI system running off an Intel ARM processor, and powering four different LCDs, an instrument cluster, navigation, and two rear seat monitors, simultaneously.

Since its founding in March 2009, GENIVI has grown from eight founding members, including BMW Group, Delphi, GM, Intel, Magneti Marelli, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Visteon, and Wind River, to more than 40 members and continues to drive automotive and consumer electronics connectivity, multimedia and performance capabilities through open source adoption.

This automated vehicle uses a dozen Intel Core 2 processors, but at the bottom of the software stack is Ubuntu 6.06 “Dapper Drake” Linux. Ubuntu 6.06 was chosen for being an LTS (Long Term Support) release. Perhaps next year’s vehicle will be running Ubuntu 8.04?

The lunacy of the EPO with its patent maximalism will likely go unchecked (and uncorrected) if Battistelli gets his way and turns the EPO into another SIPO (Croatian in the human rights sense and Chinese in the quality sense)

Another long installment in a multi-part series about UPC at times of post-truth Battistelli-led EPO, which pays the media to repeat the lies and pretend that the UPC is inevitable so as to compel politicians to welcome it regardless of desirability and practicability

Implementing yet more of his terrible ideas and so-called 'reforms', Battistelli seems to be racing to the bottom of everything (patent quality, staff experience, labour rights, working conditions, access to justice etc.)

"Good for trolls" is a good way to sum up the Unitary Patent, which would give litigators plenty of business (defendants and plaintiffs, plus commissions on high claims of damages) if it ever became a reality

Microsoft's continued fascination with and participation in the effort to undermine Alice so as to make software patents, which the company uses to blackmail GNU/Linux vendors, widely acceptable and applicable again